Sometimes it’s hard to understand what exactly we sign up for when we take out loans or sign a lease. It can be difficult to budget or to gain an immediate sense of 'adult' responsibility.

In theory, I’d like to spend my money wisely and save all of my income from a job, but things just haven’t worked out that way. It’s also hard to be perspective about how we will be able to pay our loans back simply because some jobs are hard to get out of college and sometimes it's impossible to plan out everything from the beginning of college.

For example, I personally question if moving out and renting an apartment as a freshman was the right decision.

Financially, it cost me a lot and I try to remember that in terms of where that financially puts me in the future once my loan payments start rolling in. However, I do think that moving out was a better choice for me just because it has helped me in every other aspect of my life other than money. It wasn’t the cheapest option, but it’s worked out incredibly well for me so far. In my whole experience of renting and taking out loans for the first time, there are a lot of issues I faced and there's a lot of things I've learned.

Let's start with a cliché. One of my biggest regrets was not saving more during high school when my classwork wasn’t nearly as difficult or as extensive as it is now. The best time to start building funds really is in high school. You aren’t responsible for anything at that point other than maybe some chores, a sport, homework, and a part-time job. You have the ability to actually save large sums of money instead of seeing it all be wiped out chunk by chunk to cover water, gas, electricity, groceries, renters insurance, Wifi, the works. In high school, I would work 40+ hours a week through two different jobs and still keep up with schoolwork. In college, I’m afraid that working more than 10 hours will significantly set me back academically.

Changing spending habits is also a must and sometimes we come to a rude awakening on how we actually need to be spending our money. There’s no more eating out once a week, shopping for new jeans at American Eagle, or buying girls scout cookies for when you plan on getting toked (as if you could even afford a gram). Now, you buy your jeans from the clearance rack from Walmart and that’s okay. Sometimes we need to look beyond what unnecessary things we want when we could get the same thing for a quarter of the price. It can also come down to prioritizing what we'd like to spend any spare cash on. This can be difficult especially when you know that other people like you don't have to worry about these things.

For someone going to a fairly expensive private college, it’s not uncommon to meet people from different backgrounds than you. Maybe you grew up in a lower income family and got a job as soon as you were legally able to just to pay for a new pair of shoes. You go to college and suddenly you're friends with someone whose parents bought them their car, pays for their college and sends them $50 a month for "spending money." It’s hard to accept the fact that not everyone has had to put in the same amount of effort as you have only to get to the same place. We like to look down on people who are handed things because we feel cheated by the system.

Even though it is a truth no one can truly understand the value of a dollar until they’ve had to work for it and then used it to pay for basic living services like hot water, we shouldn’t be chastising those who were simply dealt a better hand. They can’t help being born into a wealthy family any more than some of us could help being born into a working-class family. The best thing they can do is acknowledge that they are privileged and that not everyone will have the same opportunities because of that. The best thing the rest of us can do is just be happy for others and to simply appreciate what our financial struggles have taught us. We all have trouble realizing this since our instinct is to dislike those that have it better than we do for no real reason, but we should at least try to be more accepting and positive.

I’m not going to lie, it can be a bit frustrating when your friends want to go out for food when there’s no way you can afford it. I do tend to get a bit self conscious when I tell them I can’t afford certain things because I not only worry about how they’ll judge my financial choices, but I also don’t want to be seen as someone trying to gain sympathy so that they will pay for me. I don't want a handout for something I don't need. I see myself as someone trying to become an independent, responsible adult by making the decision to support myself to a pretty significant extent. This doesn't mean that I never accept help from anyone, though. For example. I still recieve small care packages from my mom, and that’s okay. I do what I think is best for me at that moment.

It’s important to consider what we need to do in order to get where we want to be in life, but it’s also important to care for ourselves in the best way we know how. If following the norm doesn’t suit us, then we shouldn’t do it. I’m not saying we should all go out and spend way too much money to treat ourselves because we only live once. I’m saying be smart with your choices but don’t overanalyze it to the point of driving yourself into a life of feeling uncomfortable, stressed, and negative. Money is definitely an important and major factor in our lives, but we should be investing in ourselves with enough confidence to think that yeah, we’ll be okay in the end. Life happens, things change, and everything else just goes on. For me, I know that I have people at home that love me and that’s enough to make me feel positive about my decisions.

In the end, we should all be doing what we think is best for us. I try to stay comfortable and independent while I become more educated and that’s just the way I function best. Others might prefer a dorm or to just commute from home. Some people have the privilege to be set up for life by their parents while others may have different situations. My situation calls for a lot of work and money, but that doesn't make my decision any better or any worse than another person’s decision to live at home throughout college. What suits someone might not suit someone else and it’s hard to always remember and accept that. Hopefully we can all just make our way through life happy and with little regrets.